Men's Lacrosse | 3/9/2018 12:44:00 PM

BY JOE SEIL
Ed Leva, with humility among his greatest virtues, never wanted it to be about him. He knows where he came from and how he got to where he is and is able to summarize those emotions with words such as 'thankful' and 'fortunate' and 'lucky' and 'blessed.'

His life – both professional and personal – has been a tumultuous series of dreams come true and collections of favorable circumstances created through his own fear of failure and inherent values, such as good, old-fashioned work ethic, instilled by his parents, George and Beverly, at an early age.

"I wanted to preserve their legacy, because no one means more to me than those two," Leva said recently from his East Avenue office at Wellington Steele & Associates, a company he co-founded 15 years ago. "They've done so much and sacrificed so much, I felt like I needed to do something."

Leva, a former lacrosse player at Nazareth, recently made a generous donation to the college to establish the Beverly and George Leva Endowed Fund for men's lacrosse. The fund provides financial support above and beyond the men's lacrosse program's operational budget, as determined by the head coach and the Director of Athletics in order to enhance the overall student-athlete experience. The fund may be applied to areas such as (but not limited to) equipment, team travel, professional development for coaches, and/or recruiting expenses.

Leva, class of '91, is pleased that he was able to bring together some of the things that are near and dear to him – his parents and the sport of lacrosse – to make the gift a reality.

Leva's mother was known as Beverly Lucity back in the late 1950s when she attended Nazareth, but was unable to finish due to a series of events, not the least significant of which was marrying George Leva nearly 60 years ago. It was no coincidence back in the early 1990s that George and Beverly's youngest child, Ed, chose to transfer to Nazareth after a stint at Herkimer Community College. "I know it meant a lot it meant a lot to her to see me graduate from Nazareth, because she had such fond memories," he said.

"I wasn't a star by any means; I was just lucky to make a roster," Leva said. "Lacrosse was not necessarily a priority, but a vehicle. I was fortunate enough to get way more out of it than playing time. The relationships… the people I played with are still some of my dearest friends and I would do anything for them. Just being around them has made me a better person."

As an English Literature major, Leva was able to garner more than a simple affinity for classic writing styles. He was able to parlay his collegiate experience into a successful business career and an even more prosperous personal life. On a wing and a prayer – and a napkin – he co-founded Wellington Steele & Associates with his business partner John Gaudu in 2002. The company specializes in information technology, recruiting and consulting and has been recognized four times as a Rochester Top 100 company by the Rochester Chamber of Commerce. 

 "I got together with John at 8 o'clock one Saturday morning (back in 2002) and we literally drew up a business plan on a napkin," Leva said. "The company's growth has been 100 percent organic; we never acquired anybody. We strategized and had a good work ethic."

Much of that circles back as a byproduct of his upbringing and the legacy he is attempting to preserve. He and his wife Shellie aspire to instill similar ideals in their own children – Talia, 13, and Miles, 10 – who combine to form the center of his universe.

"She is beyond brilliant," Leva said of his wife of nearly 15 years. "The commitment that she puts into everything she does is unbelievable. Finding Shellie is the luckiest and greatest thing that's ever happened to me."
He stays active by coaching his son's team in the Irondequoit Youth Lacrosse program and keeping close tabs – along with siblings George, Jr. and Becky – on his parents.

"I'm thankful," he said, "that I'm in a situation where I can do something to help out the lacrosse community and preserve that legacy also. I feel like I'm very, very blessed to be a part of it."